Piers Anthony’s Isle of Woman is a monumental epic of unprecedented drama and scope, retelling the saga of humankind in a unique and dramatic way. The culmination of more than a quarter century of research, it is a stunningly ambitious achievement from a master of imaginative fiction. At once grand in scope and intimate in human detail, Isle of Woman tells the story of a man and a woman born at the dawn of human history, separated by fate, yet united by an unquenchable passion that even time could not conquer: Blaze, the fire worker who raised his kind of savagery, and Ember, the beautiful green-eyed woman who forever haunted his dreams.
Through their eyes and those of their descendents, we witness humanity’s odyssey from savagery to civilization as they are reborn again and again throughout history. We share with these two eternal lovers an unforgettable odyssey of triumph, tragedy, and discovery that takes them from the African savannah to the ancient Middle East, from the South Pacific to the caves of northern Europe, from the court of imperial China to India during the British Raj, ending in a stunning reunion in an America in ruins only a few short years from now.
From Publishers Weekly
Anthony (the Xanth series) overreaches with this ambitious but clumsy pro-environmental "message" novel. Interconnected vignettes trace the progress of a man and a woman, Blaze and Ember, through repeated reincarnations at different points in humanity's development. With settings as diverse as prehistoric Africa, T'ang Dynasty China, medieval Lithuania and a dystopian near-future America, Anthony's showcases little-known societies and events as he attempts to demonstrate how "the traits and abilities that enabled man to survive and prosper in the past are now about to drive him into disaster." The uninspired historical reconstructions sometimes exhibit an irritating patriarchal bias; stilted prose features awkward explanations, comically stiff dialogue and adolescent, voyeuristic treatment of sex. Failing as compelling historical fiction, this work, with its preponderance of factual material, is likely to disappoint Anthony's loyal fantasy fans as well. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
An archetypal man and woman, joined by their unfulfilled destiny, provide the link in a series of vignettes that explore the panorama of human history. Fantasy/sf veteran Anthony's latest novel is, on one level, a story of reincarnation, as the couple known as Blaze and Ember seek each other through the centuries. On a deeper level, the author identifies those human instincts that at one time guaranteed the species' survival but that now harbor the seeds of its self-destruction. The first of a projected series, this is perhaps Anthony's most ambitious project to date. Well conceived and written from the heart, this title belongs in most libraries. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Description:
Piers Anthony’s Isle of Woman is a monumental epic of unprecedented drama and scope, retelling the saga of humankind in a unique and dramatic way. The culmination of more than a quarter century of research, it is a stunningly ambitious achievement from a master of imaginative fiction. At once grand in scope and intimate in human detail, Isle of Woman tells the story of a man and a woman born at the dawn of human history, separated by fate, yet united by an unquenchable passion that even time could not conquer: Blaze, the fire worker who raised his kind of savagery, and Ember, the beautiful green-eyed woman who forever haunted his dreams.
Through their eyes and those of their descendents, we witness humanity’s odyssey from savagery to civilization as they are reborn again and again throughout history. We share with these two eternal lovers an unforgettable odyssey of triumph, tragedy, and discovery that takes them from the African savannah to the ancient Middle East, from the South Pacific to the caves of northern Europe, from the court of imperial China to India during the British Raj, ending in a stunning reunion in an America in ruins only a few short years from now.
From Publishers Weekly
Anthony (the Xanth series) overreaches with this ambitious but clumsy pro-environmental "message" novel. Interconnected vignettes trace the progress of a man and a woman, Blaze and Ember, through repeated reincarnations at different points in humanity's development. With settings as diverse as prehistoric Africa, T'ang Dynasty China, medieval Lithuania and a dystopian near-future America, Anthony's showcases little-known societies and events as he attempts to demonstrate how "the traits and abilities that enabled man to survive and prosper in the past are now about to drive him into disaster." The uninspired historical reconstructions sometimes exhibit an irritating patriarchal bias; stilted prose features awkward explanations, comically stiff dialogue and adolescent, voyeuristic treatment of sex. Failing as compelling historical fiction, this work, with its preponderance of factual material, is likely to disappoint Anthony's loyal fantasy fans as well.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
An archetypal man and woman, joined by their unfulfilled destiny, provide the link in a series of vignettes that explore the panorama of human history. Fantasy/sf veteran Anthony's latest novel is, on one level, a story of reincarnation, as the couple known as Blaze and Ember seek each other through the centuries. On a deeper level, the author identifies those human instincts that at one time guaranteed the species' survival but that now harbor the seeds of its self-destruction. The first of a projected series, this is perhaps Anthony's most ambitious project to date. Well conceived and written from the heart, this title belongs in most libraries.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.